Thinking About Upgrading Your Laptop? Wait!
Though lawyers are becoming increasingly mobile, we can’t do everything on a tablet or cell phone. Truth be told, there’s nothing quite like the ol’ QWERTY keyboard and 100 wpm typing to burn through a brief or blog post in a hurry.
It’ll be awhile before we reach the “post-PC” age. You likely still do most of your lawyering on your computer, and it you are nearing your upgrade time, you might be perusing your options.
Wait.
Gizmodo is right. Now is the absolute worst time to buy a laptop. They point out one very compelling reason: Intel's upcoming Haswell processors. We'd also point out the impeding Mac updates and Windows Blue as reasons to hold off for a couple months.
What's a Haswell?
Haswell is the codename for Intel's next landmark processor design. For years, Haswell has been on the roadmap, teasing and taunting geeks with incredible battery life and graphics power. This processor promises ultra-long battery life and integrated (read: cheap) graphics that can tear through the newest games and 4k (ultra-high definition) video.
What's that? You don't play games? And you haven't even jumped on the 1080p high definition bandwagon?
It's not really about the graphics. It's more about the battery life. If you own a tablet, you likely delight in the fact that if you charged up that iPad or Nexus 7, you can read, web surf, and do other boring things all day long. There's no need to run for a charger. Your battery lasts days. Heck, tablets can even handle back-to-back-to-back movies, like watching the entire Back to the Future trilogy in one sitting. (We don't need chargers where we're going!)
Imagine never having your battery die mid-meeting again. Charge at night. Power through the workday. And if you are the Apple MacBook type, that Retina display will last even longer, and cause less performance lag, with the new chips.
Other Reasons to Wait
Speaking of Macs, Apple is expected to launch its updated MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models (using Haswell chips) at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June. PC makers will likely release their new models around then as well.
Plus, Windows Blue is coming. We've already talked a bit about Windows 8.1 (codenamed Blue), but the short version is this: it'll fix many of Windows 8's flaws (much like Windows 7 fixed Vista's foibles).
If all of that sounds a bit "meh" to you, let's put it this way: new tech means old tech goes on clearance. Saving money is never "meh."
Related Resources:
- Windows Blue Leaked - Didn't We Just Get Windows 8? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- 8 Reasons Windows 8 Doesn't Really Work for Lawyers (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Laptop v. Tablet: Which is Better for Lawyers? (FindLaw's Technologist)
